Progress Report

[Photograhy by Patrick Jacobs.]

If asked today, I would “estimate” that recording and mixing is 90 percent complete on the 11 songs featured in the next collection of music by Josephmooon. We’re just. That. Close.

Seriously . . . spent several hours at Rocky Head Studios last week, working on lead vocal and harmony parts. Fortunately, my voice was strong and mostly in good form, with multiple takes typically resulting in a consensus that a desired result had been achieved. Working in the studio can be stressful and frustrating, but producers Ian and Ronnie Nice have a good sense of what “works,” versus an idea or notion that, in the end, just might not be worth pursuing.

Ronan writes the lyrics, of course, but as the “voice” of Josephmooon, the responsibility of “interpreting” those words – carving them from their original state; creating melodies out of thin air; considering the intervals and phrasing of the words; verse and chorus structures, etc. – falls to me. These songs did not exist before we made them, and now that they do exist, what?

Obviously, any songwriter would be encouraged to have their songs retain life over time, to be enjoyed by more and more people, to perhaps even inspire others to sing the songs themselves, to give them their own interpretations. That is just one of the reasons it is exciting to present another set of songs, new ideas and melodies just waiting to be discovered.

Good Morning

Her Smile

Only One Life

Just Do It

Me And My Homies

Banjo On My Knee

Can’t Be Beat

You’re (Not) In Charge

Hand In Heaven

Last Words

Something Good

These are the song titles. Still, a lot of work to be done, Liner notes and credits. Artwork. Bar codes. Soundscan codes (LOL does Soundscan even exist anymore?). Anyway, long alphanumerics that allow the tracking of “streams,” with the intended and implied reason being, “to get paid, m%$#&Fu*&+.” But it is a joke for a small, independent project like Josephmooon. Save for a viral Tik Tok video or other “break” that brings our music to a mass audience, our efforts remain for those whose ears are open.

Work continues. Refine. Remove. Promote. Repeat. The Josephmooon debut album, So Far So Good, was released 1 October 2021. Seems like one year is long enough to wait for something new. Stay tuned.